Halt on Health Worker Vaccine Mandate Persists as HHS Appeals

A federal court in Louisiana refused to lift a halt on the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for health-care workers in 40 states while an appeal moves forward.

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana on Wednesday denied the administration’s request for a stay on the preliminary injunction pending an appeal to the Fifth Circuit. A federal judge in Missouri also denied a similar request, so the Biden administration still can’t enforce the mandate across the U.S.

The lower court in Louisiana halted the rule Nov. 30 for all states that weren’t covered by the previous injunction in the Missouri lawsuit.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit will hear the appeal, which has 19 judges appointed by Republican presidents out of 26 active or senior judges.

The case is Louisiana v. Becerra, W.D. La., No. 3:21-cv-03970, stay pending appeal denied 12/1/21.